title: Delirium in the ICU: time to probe the hard questions.
abstract: Prevalent in critically ill patients, delirium remains poorly understood and difficult to treat. In a cross-sectional study conducted in 12 countries, delirium was identified in close to one third of patients and was independently associated with increased mortality. While such epidemiological accounts represent an important cornerstone for research, scientific efforts are needed to elucidate the causes of delirium and the mechanisms underlying its association with poor outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N, Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. rstevens@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Karin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Neufeld
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sharshar
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000639:trends*; D003693:Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male